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Show Peppermint Monday It wasn't enough to watch Barton testing the doneness of his meat and butter his bread, we had to listen to hill superstitions too. "Guess how you remove warts?" Russ smiled smugly as if he had an impossible riddle. I choked on some creamed carrots. Once I'd told ma I had an ingrown toenail at the table and she'd quieted me down quick. "Not while we're eating," I was told. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference between hurt toes and warts, unless warts are worse. But ma just smiled at Russ, encouraging him to continue. Even Barton sipped his skimmed milk, anticipating Russ' answer. "Jake told me about it today." Russ' tone indicated he considered Jake's word gospel. "A seventh son in a family is supposed to have the power to remove warts. Jake said his grandpa had warts on his hands until a guy removed them for him." "That's stupid." Jason piped up before I could, but he used the same words I would have. Russ was believing all the nonsense Jake told him. It was a good thing none of us had warts. Russ would be hunting a family of boys. Even Carsons didn't have seven sons, and they were the biggest family I could think of. "Jake said so. Jake doesn't lie." Ma looked at pa, Barton stirred his carrots, and I dug my braces in my upper lip to keep myself from spouting off. This was a matter for pa. It was high time he lowered Jake off of the magical pedestal Russ had him up on. "Jake is one of the last hill people around who believe those things, Russ. Today science has explained a lot of things men -used to have to try |
